Influence of Toxoplasma gondii acute infection on cholinesterase activities of Wistar rats.

Several studies have shown the mechanisms and importance of immune responses against Toxoplasma gondii infection and the notable role of cholinesterases in inflammatory reactions. However, the association between those factors has not yet been investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in blood and lymphocytes and the activity of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) in serum of rats experimentally infected with T.

Combined sulfur K-edge XANES-EXAFS study of the effect of protonation on the sulfate tetrahedron in solids and solutions.

Sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) has been used to distinguish between aqueous and solid sulfates and to investigate changes in their speciation. Data have been collected for tetrahedrally coordinated S in K2SO4 and KHSO4 solids and aqueous solutions. With a first qualitative analysis of the X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectra, it has been observed that those for solids are much more structured and distinguishable from those of aqueous solutions.

E-NTPDase and E-ADA activities in lymphocytes associated with the immune response of rats experimentally infected with Toxoplasma gondii.

An investigation of E-NTPDase and E-ADA activities in lymphocytes from rats experimentally infected with Toxoplasma gondii was carried out in this study. For this purpose, twenty four adult male Wistar rats were divided in two groups/four subgroups (A1 and A2; B1 and B2-6 animal/each group), with "A" as uninfected and "B" inoculated with T. gondii (RH strain).

[Treatment satisfaction of patients with borderline personality disorder in inpatient schema therapy].

Patients with severe and chronic psychiatric disorders, such as Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), are hospitalized frequently, but we often find a high ambivalence regarding treatment in this group of patients. 31 patients with severe BPD participated in an inpatient Schema Therapy (ST) treatment program and evaluated both the intensive ST treatment program and group therapy elements regarding their treatment -satisfaction. A high global treatment satisfaction with the ST treatment program was demonstrated and we found a higher treatment satisfaction in patients with than without BPD specific symptom reductions.

Implementation of a national reference laboratory for Buruli ulcer disease in Togo.

Background: In a previous study PCR analysis of clinical samples from suspected cases of Buruli ulcer disease (BUD) from Togo and external quality assurance (EQA) for local microscopy were conducted at an external reference laboratory in Germany. The relatively poor performance of local microscopy as well as effort and time associated with shipment of PCR samples necessitated the implementation of stringent EQA measures and availability of local laboratory capacity. This study describes the approach to implementation of a national BUD reference laboratory in Togo.

Relationship between butyrylcholinesterase activity and liver injury in mice acute infected with Toxoplasma gondii.

This study aimed to investigate the butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity in mice experimentally infected with Toxoplasma gondii during the acute phase. Twenty mice were divided in two groups with 10 animals each: group A was composed of uninfected mice while group B was formed by rodents infected with T. gondii.

Characterization of a spent Ru/C catalyst after gasification of biomass in supercritical water.

Carbon-supported ruthenium catalysts promote the gasification of aqueous organic feed with high efficiency to synthetic natural gas in supercritical water. Ruthenium metal was recently identified as the catalytically active species. [1] Occasionally deactivation is observed.

Serological survey on Ehrlichia sp. among dogs in the central region of Rio Grande do Sul.

A serological survey on Ehrlichia canis was conducted among dogs in the central area of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, where the tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus is a common parasite of dogs. Out of a total of 316 dogs attended at the veterinary teaching hospital in the municipality of Santa Maria, only 14 (4.43%) reacted positively to E.

Design of a continuous-flow reactor for in situ x-ray absorption spectroscopy of solids in supercritical fluids.

This paper presents the design and performance of a novel high-temperature and high-pressure continuous-flow reactor, which allows for x-ray absorption spectroscopy or diffraction in supercritical water and other fluids under high pressure and temperature. The in situ cell consists of a tube of sintered, polycrystalline aluminum nitride, which is tolerant to corrosive chemical media, and was designed to be stable at temperatures up to 500 °C and pressures up to 30 MPa. The performance of the reactor is demonstrated by the measurement of extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectra of a carbon-supported ruthenium catalyst during the continuous hydrothermal gasification of ethanol in supercritical water at 400 °C and 24 MPa.

Comparative performance of macrocyclic lactones against large strongyles in horses.

Several formulations of macrocyclic lactones (abamectin, ivermectin, moxidectin), including ivermectin combined with pyrantel (tetrahydropyrimidine) and ivermectin combined with praziquantel (pyrazinoisoquinolin derivative), were tested regarding their efficacy to control gastrointestinal nematodes of horses on a stud farm in southern Brazil. In addition, we tested a pharmaceutically produced generic paste containing ivermectin 4%. Similar formulations of avermectins had different efficacies measured by reduction of EPG.

The C-terminal domain of Fcj1 is required for formation of crista junctions and interacts with the TOB/SAM complex in mitochondria.

Crista junctions (CJs) are tubular invaginations of the inner membrane of mitochondria that connect the inner boundary with the cristae membrane. These architectural elements are critical for mitochondrial function. The yeast inner membrane protein Fcj1, called mitofilin in mammals, was reported to be preferentially located at CJs and crucial for their formation.

The importance of vertical transmission of Neospora sp. in naturally infected horses.

Neospora spp. is a intracellular protozoan phylogenetically closely related to Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis neurona, and it can infect horses leading to the development of reproductive or neurological diseases. We determined the presence of antibodies to Neospora sp.

Intanza(®) 15 mcg intradermal influenza vaccine elicits cross-reactive antibody responses against heterologous A(H3N2) influenza viruses.

The aim of the present study was to explore the ability of Intanza(®) 15 μg, the intradermal (ID) trivalent inactivated split-virion influenza vaccine containing 15 μg hemagglutinin per strain, to enhance the antibody responses against heterologous circulating H3N2 strains in adults 60 years and older. During the 2006-2007 influenza season, subjects aged 60 years or older were randomly assigned to receive one dose of ID or an intramuscular (IM, Vaxigrip(®)) influenza vaccine, which contained the reassortant A/Wisconsin/67/05(H3N2) strain as the H3N2 component. Antibody responses were assessed against the homologous vaccine strain, against the A/Brisbane/10/07(H3N2) reassortant strain and against four heterologous H3N2 field isolates (A/Genoa/62/05(H3N2), A/Genoa/3/07(H3N2), A/Genoa/2/07(H3N2), A/Genoa/3/06(H3N2)).

Zwitterionic dithiocarboxylates derived from N-heterocyclic carbenes: coordination to gold surfaces.

The zwitterionic dithiocarboxylates 1(+)-CS(2)(-)-4(+)-CS(2)(-) were prepared by reacting the corresponding N-heterocyclic carbenes 1,3-bis(2,6-diisoproylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene (1), 1,3-diisopropylimidazol-2-ylidene (2), 1,3-dibenzylimidazol-2-ylidene (3) and 1,3-diethylbenzimidazol-2-ylidene (4) with CS(2). In the latter two cases, the corresponding N-heterocylic carbene was generated in situ. Compounds 2(+)-CS(2)(-)-4(+)-CS(2)(-) were structurally characterised by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies.

Effect of the β-propiolactone treatment on the adsorption and fusion of influenza A/Brisbane/59/2007 and A/New Caledonia/20/1999 virus H1N1 on a dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine/ganglioside GM3 mixed phospholipids monolayer at the air-water interface.

The production protocol of many whole cell/virion vaccines involves an inactivation step with β-propiolactone (BPL). Despite the widespread use of BPL, its mechanism of action is poorly understood. Earlier work demonstrated that BPL alkylates nucleotide bases, but its interaction with proteins has not been studied in depth.

Verification of greenhouse gas emission reductions: the prospect of atmospheric monitoring in polluted areas.

Independent verification of greenhouse gas emissions reporting is a legal requirement of the Kyoto Protocol, which has not yet been fully accomplished. Here, we show that dedicated long-term atmospheric measurements of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO(2)) and methane (CH(4)), continuously conducted at polluted sites can provide the necessary tool for this undertaking. From our measurements at the semi-polluted Heidelberg site in the upper Rhine Valley, we find that in the catchment area CH(4) emissions decreased on average by 32±6% from the second half of the 1990s until the first half of the 2000s, but the observed long-term trend of emissions is considerably smaller than that previously reported for southwest Germany.

A new route for mass production of uniform metal nanoparticles in water by means of laser light induced processes.

In this contribution, we report a new route for mass fabrication of metal nanoparticles with monodisperse shape and narrow size distribution in water applying exclusively physical processes. For this purpose, we have combined pulsed laser ablation with the technique of selective laser tailoring. For example, pulsed laser ablation from a gold plate in water results in a large amount of nanoparticles with radii in the range of R = 75 nm with a relatively broad size distribution of sigma = 31%.

AtHsp70-15-deficient Arabidopsis plants are characterized by reduced growth, a constitutive cytosolic protein response and enhanced resistance to TuMV.

Arabidopsis thaliana contains 18 genes encoding Hsp70s. This heat shock protein superfamily is divided into two sub-families: DnaK and Hsp110/SSE. In order to functionally characterize members of the Hsp70 superfamily, loss-of-function mutants with reduced cytosolic Hsp70 expression were studied.

PD Trafficking of Potato Leaf Roll Virus Movement Protein in Arabidopsis Depends on Site-specific Protein Phosphorylation.

Many plant viruses encode for specialized movement proteins (MP) to facilitate passage of viral material to and through plasmodesmata (PD). To analyze intracellular trafficking of potato leaf roll virus (PLRV) movement protein (MP17) we performed GFP fusion experiments with distinct deletion variants of MP17. These studies revealed that the C-terminus of MP17 is essential but not sufficient for PD targeting.

The second face of a known player: Arabidopsis silencing suppressor AtXRN4 acts organ-specifically.

Plant viruses exploit the symplastic transport pathway provided by plasmodesmata by encoding for specialized movement proteins, which interact with host factors to enable viral intracellular and intercellular spread. Stable expression of the Potato leaf roll virus movement protein MP17 in Arabidopsis results in a carbohydrate export block and stunted growth. To identify host factors essential for viral infection, we screened a progeny population of EMS (ethyl methanesulfonate)-mutagenized Arabidopsis expressing a MP17:GFP fusion for suppressor mutants with restored wild type-like phenotype.

Multiple resistance of gastrointestinal nematodes to nine different drugs in a sheep flock in southern Brazil.

Based on clinical observation of a flock of approximately 5000 sheep (breed Merino) from southern Brazil, the failure of anthelmintic treatments was suspected. The sensitivity of the gastrointestinal nematodes that infected these sheep to nine drugs (Levamisole, Moxidectin, Albendazole, Ivermectin, Nitroxynil, Disophenol, Trichlorphon, Closantel, and a combination of Ivermectin, Levamisole and Albendazole) was evaluated. None of the drugs reduced the count of nematode eggs per gram of feces (EPG) in the sheep to an adequate extent (defined as a 95% reduction in EPG).

Serum concentrations of paliperidone versus risperidone and clinical effects.

Purpose: The major aim of this multicenter retrospective analysis was to examine the relationship between paliperidone serum concentrations and clinical effects in patients treated with this new antipsychotic drug. Intra-individual variability in trough serum concentrations was also analyzed in patients under treatment with either the paliperidone-extended release (ER) formulation or the risperidone immediate-release formulation.

Methods: Data were obtained from 217 patients of four medical centers who were being followed by therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM).

Disturbed brain activation during a working memory task in drug-naive adult patients with ADHD.

Neuroimaging studies in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have shown abnormalities in several brain areas including the frontostriatal circuitry and were mostly conducted in children and adolescents. We investigated 30 never-medicated adult ADHD patients (16 males) and 30 matched healthy control individuals. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was acquired during a working memory paradigm (n-back).